Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow

The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) was founded in 1985. It does policy and lobbying work on the environment from a libertarian perspective. It touts itself as a conservative answer to the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (e.g. NYPIRG, ConnPIRG et al.), progressivelobbying groups concerned with environmental issues. The PIRGs raise much of their funding from door-to-door canvassing and student activity fees at college campuses around the country. CFACT has been involved in efforts to eliminate this funding, or found counter-organizations that would give right-wing causes a piece of the pie.

In November 2015, CFACT announced the premier of its movie Climate Hustle the following month, in timing with the 21st United Nations international climate negotiations.

Documents Contained at the Anti-Environmental Archives

Documents written by or referencing this person or organization are contained in the Anti-Environmental Archive, launched by Greenpeace on Earth Day, 2015. The archive contains 3,500 documents, some 27,000 pages, covering 350 organizations and individuals. The current archive includes mainly documents collected in the late 1980s through the early 2000s by The Clearinghouse on Environmental Advocacy and Research (CLEAR), an organization that tracked the rise of the so called "Wise Use" movement in the 1990s during the Clinton presidency. Access the index to the Anti-Environmental Archives here.

Founding

CFACT describes its founding: "In 1985, the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) was founded to promote a positive voice on environment and development issues. Its co-founders, David Rothbard and Craig Rucker, believed very strongly that the power of the market combined with the applications of safe technologies could offer humanity practical solutions to many of the world’s pressing concerns. A number of leading scientists, academics, and policy leaders would also agree with them and soon joined their effort, along with thousands of citizens from around the country."[2]

Mission

"Today, this Washington DC-based group is a highly respected organization and its voice can be heard relentlessly infusing the environmental debate with a balanced perspective on environmental stewardship. With an influential and impressive scientific advisory board, aggressive collegiate program, CFACT Europe, United Nations representation, Adopt-A-Village project, Global Social Responsibility program, and 'Just the Facts' national radio commentary, CFACT has and continues to offer genuine positive solutions to today’s global challenges."[3]

People

Leadership

Craig Rucker, Executive Director. Rucker attended SUNY-Albany, where he first came in contact with NYPIRG, the New York affiliate of the 'Public Interest Research Groups'. Ever since, he's worked with and for organizations in an attempt to subvert the PIRGs. He's also an adjunct scholar at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.[1]

Affiliates Listed on 2010 "Provisional" U.N. Document

For the June 2010 U.N. climate talks in Bonn, the "Provisional list of participants" [3] lists over 30 individuals in the CFACT entourage, including many not previously associated with the organization. But these "extras" - including "Senior Advisor" Nir Shaviv, who denies any CFACT tie - do not appear in the "Final list of participants"[4]. It is not known why these additional individuals appeared as CFACT affiliates.

Funding

CFACT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit group under the of code of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.[8] On its website, CFACT does not disclose its corporate or foundation funders.[9]

Media Transparency calculates that between 1991 and 2006 CFACT gained $1,280,000 from 18 grants from only two foundations -- the Carthage Foundation and the Sarah Scaife Foundation.[10] The Carthage Foundation granted $1,105,000 to CFACT between 1991 - 2006, while the Sarah Scaife Foundation sent $175,000 to the group between 1996 - 2001.

On its website tracking grants to groups, the conservative Capital Research Center listed CFACT as having received grants of $60,500 from Chevron between 1994 and 1998. (The CRC lists the grants comprising $16,000 in each of 1994, 1995 and 1996 and $12,500 in 1998). The CRC also listed CFACT from having received $25,000 from DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund $25,000 and a token $500 from the Ford Motor Company Fund.[11]

ExxonMobil contributed $5,000 in each of 1997 and 1998.[11] Greenpeace's ExxonSecrets website adds that Exxon has contributed a further $577,000 between 2000 and 2007.[12]

Contact Information

Street Addresses

Guidestar.org lists CFACT at 7521 Presidential Ln, Manassas, VA 20109; this is the address of its tax preparer Hendershot, Burkhardt and Reed (which was used by many like-minded groups).

Some online webpages have CFACT at 1825 I St. NW in Washington, but as of April 2010 this was incorrect[13]; the actual office address appears to be a virtual office in the same International Square complex, at 1875 I St. NW, 5th floor.[14]